ASBAREZ Online [06-22-2006]

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
06/22/2006
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP://WWW.ASBAREZ. COM 1) Istanbul Patriarch Bartholomew Meets Karekin, Urges Solidarity 2) Canadian Company to Search for Oil and Gas in Armenia 3) Murderer of Armenian Citizen Found Guilty in Russia 4) Kocharian to Attend CSTO Meeting in Minsk 1) Istanbul Patriarch Bartholomew Meets Karekin, Urges Solidarity (AP)--Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I urged the world's Orthodox churches to minimize differences and seek solidarity as he met with the head of Armenian Apostolic Church on Wednesday. Deep divisions are prevalent throughout the Orthodox Church. Although Bartholomew controls several Greek Orthodox churches around the world, including the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, and is considered the spiritual leader of some 250 million Orthodox worldwide, relations with two of the largest churches, in Russia and Greece, remain tense. The Armenian Apostolic Church also operates independently and is not under his jurisdiction. The two spiritual leaders met under heavy security and after a brief religious ceremony in Istanbul, the formerly Greek Byzantine city of Constantinople that is the seat of Bartholomew's Orthodox Patriarchate. Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, was accompanied by clerics wearing long black robes and black hats. His hat bore a jeweled cross and he held a staff with a golden handle. "We must always keep in mind that we aim only for the glory of God," Bartholomew said in a speech to Karekin II in which he touched on the ancient split between the two churches. "He himself taught us this: 'May they all be one.' It is a sacred goal." Bartholomew praised what he called the ongoing "unofficial theological meetings" between the two churches, saying the dialogue between them began in the fifth century. Armenian Christians pride themselves on being descendants of the first people to adopt Christianity as their official national religion. The Armenian national church was established in AD 301. That predates the Roman Empire's edict of AD 313 tolerating Christianity, which was previously illegal, and was 94 years before it became the official religion of Rome and the Orthodox lands of the East. Karekin arrived in Istanbul on Tuesday for a weeklong visit to the Armenian community here and to hold talks with Bartholomew. He is expected to visit several Armenian churches in Istanbul, as well as Armenian graveyards and other religious sites including the Hagia Sophia. Both Armenians and Greeks had huge roles in the history of the city, though their numbers have dwindled to just a few thousand combined. Police tightened security to protect the visiting cleric from Turkish nationalists who protested his arrival on Tuesday night, prompting the police to accompany Karekin out of the airport through a separate entrance. Karekin has angered Turks by openly discussing the Armenian genocide. 2) Canadian Company to Search for Oil and Gas in Armenia YEREVAN (PanArmenian)A Canadian energy company, Transeuroenegery Corporation, will launch an exploratory mission to search for oil and gas fields in the Armenian regions of Armavir, Krasny, and Shoghaghbyur. "I am sure there are oil and gas deposits in Armenia," said the head of the corporation's Armenian Office Mike Smith. "Why shouldn't Armenia have oil and gas, if all their neighbors have them? In the past, in my opinion, Armenia was not lucky and prospecting works were not a success. However I am sure Armenia has oil and gas deposits," he remarked. According to Smith, researchers searched for oil in Armenia in the 1970's, but they were not pursuing commercial goals. "We are ready to introduce the necessary technical equipment and get responses to the questions of interest," Smith said. The Canadian corporation has just signed an agreement with an exploration company, which is ready to transport more modern equipment to Armenia. "This equipment will allow exploring at depth of 2500 meters, while causing minimal damage and getting the maximal outcome," Mike Smith said. He said the project will begin in September, while the first results will be ready in February 2007. 3) Murderer of Armenian Citizen Found Guilty in Russia YEREVAN (PanArmenian/RFE/RL)A court in the Russian town of Kostroma found Alexander Belov, Alexander Serov, and Andrey Potapov guilty for planning and committing the murder of an Armenian citizen, Ivan Khaltyan. Although the prosecutor demanded a life sentence for Potapov, the murderer was sentenced to 21 years in prison. His accomplices received 18 and 8 years in prison for their involvement. The month-long interrogation process also resulted in weapons charges against the accused. They have 10 days to appeal the verdict. This case is only the latest in a string of ethnic violence in Russia. At least six ethnic Armenians were beaten, stabbed or shot to death this year in xenophobic extremism targeting dark-skinned immigrants from the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Africa. The Russian authorities' failure to solve the vast majority of those crimes has is increasingly raising eyebrows in Armenia, leading to pressure from the Armenian Government on Moscow to stop the violence. Armenian President Robert Kocharian and Prime Minister Andranik Markarian raised the issue with a visiting senior Kremlin official last week. The two men told President Vladimir Putin's representative to southern Russia, Dmitry Kozak, that they expect tougher action against Russian neo-Nazi groups responsible for the increasingly serious violence. Kocharian said the Russian law-enforcement bodies, widely accused of inactivity and even connivance in the deadly attacks, should act in a more "quick, steadfast, and understandable" manner. Markarian urged Moscow to take "serious steps to identify and bring the guilty to justice as well as to avert more such incidents." According to Markarian's press service, while condemning the racist murders, Kozak said that "they are not specifically directed against Armenians" and that "the Russian authorities are doing everything to solve and rule out such crimes." 4) Kocharian to Attend CSTO Meeting in Minsk YEREVAN (Armenpress)--Armenian President Robert Kocharian will visit Friday the capital of BelarusMinskto attend a recurrent meeting of the Council of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), made up of the heads of its member countries. The Council meeting will be preceded by meetings of CSTO Foreign Ministers, Ministers of Defense, and Secretaries of Security Councils. The meeting of the CSTO Council will focus on sweeping reforms of the regional security organization and will set priorities for future activities. The heads of CSTO member states--Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan--will also focus on current developments in neighboring regions, including Afghanistan and Iran. The meeting is also expected to discuss a draft document on CSTO reform and further improvement of its activities. All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2006 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets.